


Only the Mad Are Sane

by reginahalliwell



Series: Some Kind of Goodbye [5]
Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s04e15 Scene in a Mall, F/M, Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 17:50:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8810254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reginahalliwell/pseuds/reginahalliwell
Summary: Jess and Rory pay a visit to Lorelai in Stars Hollow, and on the way run into Dean... season 3 redux?Fifth one-shot in my alternate late season four; this one takes place in between "Scene in a Mall" and "The Reigning Lorelai."





	

**Author's Note:**

> "In a mad world, only the mad are sane." - Akira Kurosawa

“How did I let you talk me into this, again?” Jess asked, rolling his eyes. 

Rory paused mid-gait and turned in front of him. She dropped his hand that she had been holding and placed one hand gently on his chest, the other coming up to hold his shoulder. She leaned in close and whispered, “Like this.” Meeting his mouth with hers, Rory took the initiative. 

She had always been the receiver of such attentions in the past, not the instigator. Jess and Rory 2.0 was different. Rory delved her tongue into his mouth, groaning as he deepened their kiss. His hand had reached around to grip her waist, holding the two of them close enough together they were touching from head to toe. 

Rory pulled away, only to tilt her head and kiss his neck briefly. “Right,” he said, “Now I remember.”

Rory laughed as she buried her face in his shoulder, pulling away with a smile. “Hey! I was doing some of my best work there,” she said. She knew he would recall his own words last year in such a similar situation, and if his eyebrow raise and grin told her anything, she was right.

“So, what should I expect anyway? Is Lane going to rip me a new one?” he asked, taking her hand as they continued walking toward Lane’s apartment. 

“Hardly,” Rory reassured him. “I was up with Lane all night last night talking about you, and she didn’t once say anything bad. I’m sure she will be similarly enthusiastic today. More so if you bring up a band she hasn’t heard of. It will distract and intrigue her.”

“Aw, geez, I didn’t know I had to intrigue her.”

“Just offer suggestions on how to set up their apartment, then. Lane’s a bit freaked about not having things like towels and a fridge.”

“That I can do. If there’s one thing I’m great at, it’s figuring out how to live well above my means.”

“My hero,” she teased.

“Hey, you saw my apartment. Did that look like something that I could afford?”

“No,” she responded, thinking back to the partially stocked fridge, actual furniture—he even had a bed frame. “How did you afford all that?”

“I’ve been working a lot, different Walmart than before, but at least I know the gig. And I have some money from Luke, and from Jimmy. I guess the guy felt guilty enough that he sent me away with a little cash in my pocket. Not guilty enough to be an actual father, but I’ll take it.”

“I hate that you’re working at Walmart,” she told Jess, looking at their linked fingers.

“I know, I know, they’re the biggest welfare queen in America, they pay their workers shit, all that stuff.” 

“No. I mean, yes, all that. But I know you could do something you actually care about.”

“I’ve been looking into it. Walmart was just the easy option because they’re everywhere. I could work at one in Venice Beach, Stars Hollow, New Haven, wherever.”

“I just want you to be able to do something you love.”

“I love you,” he said, smirking. “Does that mean I get to do—”

“Stop right there, Mariano. You know what I mean.” Rory was serious, but smiling. Then, taking his words for what she knew he actually felt, she sighed happily. “I’m not going to get over you saying that anytime soon.” After a beat, she leaned over and kissed him. Right in the middle of the road. It wasn’t like before, when she had tried to hide their relationship. No public displays of affection because they might hurt Dean…

Dean. He was standing right there, on the sidewalk not ten feet from them. 

It was like a standoff from an old Western movie. Dean was stopped in his tracks, facing them, and Rory and Jess, hands together, faced off against him from a little further down the sidewalk.

No one spoke for what felt like minutes.

Jess could feel Rory’s hand tightening around his own. He was sure it meant she was anxious, or wanted him to behave, or probably both.

Rory broke the tension first, greeting Dean innocently enough. “Hey, Dean. Off work for the day?”

Dean looked warily between her and Jess, noticing immediately the ease with which they held hands and the closeness of their bodies. He was clearly not up to date on news of Rory’s love life, and after their conversation the other day about things not getting awkward, things were certainly becoming awkward.

“Yeah, just headed home for dinner. Lindsay made burgers.” He seemed unhappy, just from the tone of his voice. Rory had seen him working at the Dragonfly, getting everything ready for the imminent opening. 

“Tell her I said ‘hi,’” Rory offered, “And I hope things are good with Tom and everybody. My mom seems to think the work is going well.”

It was a clear dismissal. Rory knew Jess wouldn’t keep silent for much longer and she wanted to get them both out of there before anyone drew blood. Rory ducked her head and waved a half-hearted goodbye as she led Jess around Dean and past his retreating figure, keeping herself in between the two boys at all times in case one of them lashed out. 

“So, that just happened,” Jess commented.

Rory tucked a hair behind her ear, looking on at Jess with admiration. “That was remarkable restraint. Why the sudden reticence?”

“Well, I figure, what do I have to be snarky about? Poor guy clearly wants you, doesn’t have you, has to watch me be with you. I know a little something about that.”

“First of all, I’m not a thing to be had. Second, you weren’t so understanding when we got together and you wanted to throw our relationship in Dean’s face all the time. Third… I don’t actually have a third. Wait, yes I do. Third, Dean doesn’t want me back. He just got married to Lindsay. He has a loving wife who makes him dinner; he’s on a family plan for goodness sake.”

“Rory?”

“What?”

“I think I’d recognize the signs. After all, I was pining for you for almost a year.”

She scoffed. “You didn’t pine. You flirted, and teased, and taunted, but you didn’t pine.”

“Even so,” he reiterated, “I know the look. He’s not so happily married, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted you back. After all, I did.”

“When did you get so grown-up?” Rory wondered. “Here I thought I was dating this next-generation Beat, this angsty misanthropic literati, but now there’s you, all mature and responsible.”

“Yeah, I’m a regular Mary Poppins.”

“Come along, then, we’ve got a runaway Korean to visit,” she said, rolling her eyes as she led him along.

~

Later that evening, Lorelai had the sudden shock of walking into her home to find Rory and Jess sitting together on the couch, sharing a bowl of popcorn as they watched an episode of The O.C., mocking it horribly. 

She had walked in to Rory’s laughter as Jess commented that one of the characters looked strangely similar to Dave Rygalski, whom Lane had very briefly dated last year. “He was a cool guy,” Jess commented.

And then they realized Lorelai was there. 

Rory hopped up from the couch, leaving the popcorn in Jess’s lap, and ran to hug her mom. “Hey!” she greeted. “Jess came with me to visit Lane. She’s all moved in to her new place, minus a lot of necessary household goods.”

“That’s… great, hon.” Lorelai tried to sound convincing. She nodded to Jess and smiled thinly in greeting, heading to the kitchen to fix herself some coffee.

Rory and Jess shared a glance between them, and Rory tried to reassure him with her eyes and a smile that everything was going to be alright. She really hoped her mother would actually give Jess a chance this time around.

“So, Lane was good, huh?” Lorelai asked Rory, putting out mugs of fresh coffee for all of them and sitting down at the table.

“She has the bedroom all to herself. Zack and Brian are sharing a bunk bed in the living room,” Jess commented. “It’s not a bad set up, for her at least.”

Lorelai focused, then, on Jess. “And how are things with you? Rory says your apartment isn’t half bad, either. You find a decent place in New Haven that doesn’t get broken into every week?”

“My door has three separate locks, and I don’t have too much that’s worth anything, so that helps.”

“Great,” Lorelai agreed. “Three locks. I’ll be sure to tell your grandmother that the next time she calls.”

Rory furrowed her brows. “Mom. What are you talking about?”

“My mother called this afternoon, and like a dummy I let slip that you two were seeing each other again. And that led to a lot of comments about black eyes and punctuality, and then of course we got back on the subject of my own teenage indiscretions, and I really should learn to not answer the phone when she calls.” Lorelai let out a sigh as she finished her tale.

Jess grimaced and looked down at the table, not happy with those memories.

Rory shook her head, exasperated. “That whole night was one big mess. Grandma doesn’t even know Jess. And she certainly doesn’t know him now! What did you say?” she asked, reaching over to Jess and clasping their hands together on his thigh.

“I said that just because they were paying for Yale didn’t mean they got to dictate your life. If they did, you’d be engaged to a young socialite already. Besides, I don’t think it’s really about you, kid. Jess just got the brunt of her anger because he makes for a good scapegoat,” Lorelai admitted, looking over at her daughter’s again-boyfriend. “I think she’s just on the outs with my dad right now and was looking for someone to take it out on.”

“That’s me,” Jess joked darkly, “Four out of five moms agree, I’m a good punching bag.”

Rory squeezed his hand as she recognized the meaning behind his self-deprecation. 

“Thanks for standing up for me,” Rory said, “For us. I know you’re worried about things but I appreciate you not letting grandma walk all over him.”

“No problem, hon. You two deserve a chance to make things work before my mother destroys any desire Jess has to get anywhere near a Gilmore again.”

“Not likely,” he commented, his snarky self returning. Rory blushed at his implication, and Lorelai buried herself in a big swig of rapidly cooling coffee.

“You two staying here tonight?” she asked, trying to be the cool mom who didn’t care if her daughter had a boy spend the night. She trusted Rory to tell her if anything was happening, and she didn’t really think that they would have sex under her roof with Lorelai in bed just upstairs. 

“We were going to head back to New Haven, but Luke asked Jess if he could help with the diner in the morning, so, yeah, if that’s okay.”

Lorelai held in the sigh she felt coming on when her dread turned to reality. “Okay, hun. You brought homework with you?”

“And laundry!” Rory replied, smiling.

“It almost sounds like it wasn’t me you were coming home to see,” Lorelai deduced, checking off the laundry, Luke, and Lane in her head. 

“Hardly,” Rory said. “You’re the reason we came. It just seemed like a good chance to meet up with Lane and see her new apartment, and you know I hate using the dorm laundry machines. Luke asking Jess to help with the diner was purely coincidence.”

“Sure it was.”

“Yeah,” Jess corroborated, “I think he said something about meeting with a lawyer. Things aren’t looking so good on the Nicole front.”

Lorelai thought about this in conjunction with what Luke had said to her the other day at the diner about the money he was loaning her. He’d told her Nicole wasn’t part of it, that Lorelai wouldn’t see her. Lorelai nodded, not sure what to say in response to this news. 

“So, movie?” she asked instead. “Or do you two want to run away and have secret talks about books while you make eyes at each other?”

Jess rolled his eyes and Rory laughed. 

“Movie,” Rory agreed firmly. “Anything good on tv, or should we find a classic from our collection?”

“Well,” Lorelai began, a twinkle in her eyes, “Since you asked… I happened to have stopped by our very own Stars Hollow Video store on the way home, and picked up a remake of the classic Freaky Friday to watch with my darling daughter.”

Jess groaned.

“Uh, mom, anything more in line with what Jess might enjoy?”

“What?! He likes you, you like the movie, hence, he’ll like the movie.”

“That’s some sophisticated logic right there,” he cracked, and Lorelai pouted. 

“Fine, I also got Kirk to rent me School of Rock before it’s actually released. They got the tapes in this week but they’re not supposed to rent them until March. I’m masterful, I know.”

“I didn’t see that one,” Jess said, but then asked, “Another musical?”

“Oh, you’ll love it,” Rory assured him. “Jack Black teaching kids how to be rock stars. It’s cheesy and funny, but there’s some pretty good music in it. Lots of classic rock.”

“I trust you,” he agreed, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Plus,” he whispered, “It can’t get any worse than Grease.”

Lorelai eyed the two, seeing how happy Rory was and how different Jess seemed with her. Could this actually be a good thing?

Agreed on the film, Lorelai set out to get more popcorn and snacks for the three of them while Rory got the movie set up. When she came back, Jess was sitting at the end of the couch with Rory cuddled up next to him in the center, her head resting gently on his shoulder, his arm chastely around her waist. They were laughing at the previews, as a trailer for Shrek 2 showed a fairy tale version of Joan Rivers. He groaned, and then laughed as Rory cracked up at the trailer, and when he smiled over at her, she could see the emotion behind his eyes. She had seen it a time or two in her life, most recently from Luke. 

Settling in, Lorelai smiled at Rory as she tuned in to a trailer for The Princess Diaries 2, and Jess let out another groan, wondering aloud what he had gotten himself into.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.


End file.
